Fireplaces have become increasingly commonplace in homes, businesses, and other buildings. A fireplace provides benefits including the generation of heat as well as an aesthetically-pleasing arrangement of flames, sounds, and smells. A fireplace is typically mounted in a wall of a structure and may include one or more exposed surfaces.
However, the exposed surfaces of the fireplace can create safety issues. For example, because the fireplace produces heat, it is possible for one or more of the exposed surfaces of the fireplace to become heated. Surfaces of a fireplace that are typically exposed are the viewing surface or surfaces through which the interior of the fireplace is viewed and the surround which surrounds the fireplace.
The exposed surfaces may become hot and pose a risk of burns to individuals or damage to objects that come into contact with the surfaces. Current fireplace design fails to adequately provide an apparatus or method to maintain the viewing surface and surround at a temperature that is safe.
Thus, there is a need for an apparatus and method for cooling a viewing surface and/or surround of a fireplace.